"L.A. Confidential" and "As Good As it Gets" Take WGA Prizes

"L.A. Confidential" and "As Good As it Gets" Take WGA Prizes

With the nominations announced nearly two weeks ago, the race for the Oscarbegan in earnest on Saturday night with the announcement of screenwritingawards by the Writers Guild of America.

“L.A. Confidential,” written by Brian Helgeland and the film’s director,Curtis Hanson, received the WGA award for best adapted screenplay based onthe James Ellroy novel. Meanwhile, Mark Andrus and James L. Brooks receivedthe best original screenplay award for “As Good As it Gets“. “Good”screenwriter James L. Brooks also received the WGA’s Paddy Chayefsky Awardfor his work with Alan Burns on “Room 222” and “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.”

While “L.A. Confidential” was considered a favorite in the adaptedcategory, the win for “As Good as It Gets” may be considered a surprise,given the tremendous amount of attention for James Cameron’s “Titanic” andBen Affleck and Matt Damon’s “Good Will Hunting” screenplays.